New York City’s large Jewish population could become a potential target for an Iranian-sponsored attack, the ‘New York Post’ reported on Wednesday, citing New York City’s police department. NYPD Commissioner Raymond Kelly warned that a possible conflict between Iran and Israel was of particular concern given the city’s large Jewish population, the newspaper quoted him as saying during an anti-terrorism conference.
New York’s metropolitan area is home to the largest Jewish community outside Israel. “We’ve been concerned about Iran for a while, and I think the history of those events throughout the world since January give us cause for concern,” Kelly was reported as saying at the conference.
Another official of the New York Police Department (NYPD), Kevin Yorke, warned of a potential retaliation attack on the city by Iran and its staunch group ally, Hezbollah. “Within the last year, we’ve seen a worldwide increase in incidents involving the stockpiling of explosives, the surveillance of targets, and a number of very significant plots and attacks,” Yorke said, according to the ‘New York Post’. He added these incidents had a direct relation to Iran’s nuclear-weapons program and the tension surrounding it.
“Obviously if there’s any action involving Israel and Iran we have to be very cognizant of the potential of retaliation here in New York City,” Yorke was quoted as saying.
